Baldwin's Guide to Homework:
Formatting Papers

Help With Papers

If you need help with your paper, and you are a student
at Mars Hill College, you can and should consider getting help
from the MHC Writing Center.

Whether your issue is that you can't figure out how
to format the paper, or your grammar is bad, or you don't know how to come
up with a thesis, argument, or topic, whatever it is: you
need help, and they are there to help, so what are you waiting for?

If you need my help, then what I really
would like is if you would post your questions in the appropriate moodle forum,
so that my answers to you can also benefit your classmates.

Standard Paper Format

These are the standard paper requirements which are to be used for every formal writing assignment. If you ignore these requirements, you will be graded accordingly.

Margins:
Use a 1" margin on all sides. On the left and right you may, if you
prefer, use up to 1.25" margins (the default on Microsoft Word). Personally,
I do prefer 1" margins all around. This seems to be quite legible
and is less wasteful of paper.

Fonts:
Always use 12 point font.

SpacingLine spacing should be 24 point (double spaced).

Personal Information:
At the top of the first page ONLY, on either the right or left
side, in single spaced lines, give your name, the name of the
class, the assignment name or number and the date you finish
the work.

Page Numbers:
Always include them in the header or footer of the document. It
is usual to put these on the right side like so: "Page 1."

Paragraphs:
All paragraphs should be indented on the first line by about .5". Paragraphs
should not have any extra space between them. This is important
to know, because Microsoft Office 2007 and 2008 both have default
settings of 10pt between paragraphs. Eliminate this
useless, unwelcome, ugly, and unnecessary extra spacing.

Title:
A paper without a good title is like a person with
no name. Imagine a newspaper article with the headline: "Newspaper
Article #1"! I have never given an "A" grade
to a paper without a proper title, and I never will. Yet, for some
reason, no matter how many times I tell students this, they seem
not to understand.

Your title is the most important
thing in your paper. It is the first line of your paper. It tells
the reader what your paper is about, and gives the reader an idea
of your content, main idea, and even your thesis. NEVER give your
paper a "title" which
is just the name of the assignment! I hate that. Honestly. Hate
is not too strong of a word. To the reader, a paper with such a
title says, in its very first line, "I don't care about
this assignment at all." And your grade is affected by this
first impression.

Use a thematically detailed, subject
specific, linguistically rich, subtle, and interesting title. A
typical, and not unwelcome title pattern is: "Subject α and
Subject β: A Clever Subtitle."

Your title should be bold-faced and centered
on the first page of the document. Do not use a title page. The
title should be separated from the personal information and from
the first line of the paper by about 2 lines (24 pt) both before
and after.

Blockquotes
For longer quotations, use a single-spaced blockquotation in a separate
paragraph, with indents of .5" on both sides, 24 point before, and 12 point
after. You may also choose to use a smaller, 10 or 11 point font
for blockquotations.

SubsectionsYou may have an easier time crafting a well-organized and interesting
paper if you use subsections. Subsections should be given clear,
specific, and thematically appropriate titles. These subsection
titles should be bold faced, flush left, with 24 points (2 lines)
before and 12 points (1 line) after.

Footnotes
It is expected that you
will cite all sources using footnotes. Footnotes should be sequentially
numbered, and every footnote should begin on the same page as is
found the footnote reference mark. Befriend the footnote. They are awesome
and powerful instruments for communicating about your research.
There are rules for how to cite sources in footnotes. LEARN THEM
(start here).
Footnotes may contain references to more than one source. They
may also contain asides: more explanatory content or additional
analysis that would disrupt the flow of your paper if it appeared
in the text.

Bibliography
Always include a bibliography. The bibliography should appear within
the main document, beginning immediately after the end of the
text, with only a two or three line (24–36 point) space before
it. There should be a centered, boldfaced line reading "Bibliography"
or "Works Cited," or something similar.